Desserts · ALWAYS FREE
Chocolate and pear upside-down cake
Skin-on pear slices bake beneath a cocoa cake and become its glossy fruit top when the warm cake is inverted.
Ingredients
Volumes are approximate. For baking, use a scale; Metric keeps the specified gram weights.
Let’s make it
- Heat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line the bottom and sides of a fixed-base 9-inch (23-cm) round cake pan at least 2 inches (5 cm) deep with parchment. Melt about 1 ⅜ tbsp (20 g) butter and spread over the base; sprinkle 40 g sugar evenly over it. Slice cored, skin-on pears about 1/4-inch (5-6 mm) thick. Arrange all slices in a closely overlapping layer, fitting small offcuts into gaps and retaining any juice.
- Melt remaining about 3 ½ tbsp (50 g) butter and cool 5 minutes. Whisk flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt thoroughly. In a second bowl whisk eggs, milk, vanilla, remaining about 2 ⅞ oz (80 g) sugar and cooled melted butter. Fold wet into dry just until no dry flour remains. Spoon all batter gently over pears and level without shifting the fruit.
- Bake 45-55 minutes until the cake springs back lightly and a skewer inserted into cake near the center comes out with moist crumbs but no wet batter. Check cake rather than a pear slice. Cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes, then loosen the parchment sides.
- Cover the pan with a heatproof rimmed serving plate. Wearing dry oven mitts, hold plate and pan securely and invert away from your body; hot fruit syrup can burn. Lift pan and peel off parchment, replacing any stuck pear pieces and scraping their syrup onto the cake. Cool at least 45 minutes more before cutting eight equal wedges. Refrigerate covered leftovers within 2 hours after baking and use within 3 days.
Estimated nutrition
Per serving · 1 of 8- Calories
- 257 kcal
- Protein
- 5.1 g
- Total carbohydrate
- 40.3 g
- Total fat
- 9.7 g
- Total sugars
- 21 g
Calculated from the listed ingredients and yield. Brands, draining, cooking and portioning can change the result. Not a laboratory analysis.
Calculation notes & sources
ESTIMATED per serving. Brand, crop, preparation, draining, pan residue and substitutions change actual nutrition. Not laboratory analysis. Each ingredient retains its primary food description and state. All listed ingredient masses are counted; cooking moisture changes do not change the stated portion count. No generic nutrient-retention factor is invented. Calories are kcal; protein, total carbohydrate, fat and total sugar are grams. Total carbohydrate includes fiber and is not net carbohydrate. Fiber and sodium are not displayed. Equal portions or explicitly counted items define the stated recipe yield. US/Metric display changes do not change these canonical inputs. Primary-source supplements are retained per ingredient where USDA lacks a field; missing values are never silently changed to zero. Divide all cake and pear topping by eight. Contains wheat, egg and milk. Uses baking powder, not a cocoa-dependent baking-soda ratio; changes to cocoa or fruit can still affect texture. No whipped cream, ice cream or garnish included.
View the ingredient calculations · Source 1Why it’s in this collection
- Vegetarian: Complete ingredient review of Chocolate and pear upside-down cake: ripe but firm raw pears with skin; all-purpose flour; unsweetened natural cocoa powder; whole milk; whole egg without shell; granulated sugar; unsalted butter; double-acting baking powder; vanilla extract; salt. No meat, fish, gelatin or animal-rennet cheese is listed; eggs or dairy may be present.
Required label checks: Review the complete listed ingredients and all product labels. Accompaniments and substitutions require a new screen. Processing aids and cross-contact have not been certified.
Supporting reference · Supporting reference
Calculations are estimates from the specified ingredients and portions. Brands, trimming, substitutions, and cooking losses change the result. This is recipe guidance, not individualized nutrition or medical advice.
Times are estimates. Images illustrate the dish; check ingredients and portions for your needs.
Use a food thermometer for meat, fish, and egg dishes. Refrigerate perishable food within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F (32°C). Reheat leftovers to 165°F (74°C). Safe cooking temperatures · USDA leftover guidance
